Deck 3: Planning for Human Resources

Question 1

HR planning is the thread that ties together all other human resource activities and integrates these with the rest of the organization.

Answer 1

True
As management experts Susan Jackson and Randall Schuler note, HR planning is "the thread that ties together all other human resource activities and integrates these with the rest of the
organization."

Question 2

Demand forecasting in human resource planning involves predicting the number and types of people the organization will need at some future point in time.

Answer 2

True
Demand forecasting involves predicting the number and types of people the organization will need at some future point in time.

Question 3

Because the future is difficult to predict, organizations should continually monitor their demand forecasts in light of any unexpected events.

Answer 3

True
The accuracy of any forecast depends on the correctness of the assumptions associated with it. If the environment changes, you must adjust your assumptions to fit the model.

Question 4

Organizations must continually monitor changing environmental conditions to ensure that management and HRM practices support business needs.

Question 5

An organization's ability to accurately anticipate an increase in its future demand for employees will be enhanced if it is more reactive in nature.

Question 6

When an organization's strategic plan calls for restructuring, the usual HRM response in recent years is to downsize.

Question 7

Understaffing an organization can cause a decrease in customer goodwill, an increase in competition, and a loss of market share.

Question 8

Many firms are now attempting to correct weaknesses stemming from their hierarchical structure by adding layers of management and empowering lower-level managers.

Question 9

Poor people management has been identified as a primary cause of voluntary turnover.

Question 10

Statistical forecasting methods assume that the relationship between workforce size and business factors change over time.

Question 11

The first step in the strategic planning process is to scan the organization's environment.

Question 12

Strategic goals should be specific, challenging, and measurable.

Question 13

Organizations operating in stable environments typically use a judgmental approach to forecast demand.

Question 14

As an individual moves further down a managerial hierarchy, he or she tends to have a more broad focus.

Question 15

The future demand for human resources in trend analysis is projected on the basis of past business trends regarding a business factor.

Question 16

Realistic job previews have not been found to improve retention rates.

Question 17

When confronted with an undersupply of employees, the only alternative for HR is to hire additional workers.

Question 18

Strategic planning is a process that helps an organization identify its overall purposes and objectives and how they are to be achieved.

Question 19

Most organizations engaged in HR planning do not rely on computer technology.

Question 20

The purpose of HR planning is to identify practices that will help organizations meet their HRM needs.

Question 21

Organizations primarily use HR forecasting to identify:

A) employee grievances.
B) recruiting needs.
C) skills requirements.
D) environmental influences.

Question 22

____ is defined as the process of identifying and responding to organizational needs and charting new policies, systems, and programs that will assure effective resource management under changing conditions.

A) HR SWOT
B) HR planning
C) HR analysis
D) HR evaluation

Question 23

A line manager's style of management can have a major impact on retention.

Question 24

HR planning is not an essential function for line managers.

Question 25

Employees being able to log onto their company's Intranet and access its insurance provider is an example of extranet.

Question 26

The purpose of HR planning includes identification of:

A) practices that will help organizations meet future HRM needs.
B) people that will help organizations meet future HRM needs.
C) practices that will help organizations meet current HRM needs.
D) people that will help organizations meet current HRM needs.

Question 27

Evaluation of the operational objectives of HR is critical in determining the effectiveness of HR strategies.

Question 28

Which of the following is not an intended consequence of understaffing?

A) Increased employee stress levels
B) Increased back orders
C) Decreased customer goodwill
D) Increased market share

Question 29

The procedure organizations utilize to tie human resource issues to the organization's business needs is called:

A) HR planning.
B) HR analysis.
C) HR SWOT.
D) HR metrics.

Question 30

It is not necessary for HR professionals to consider organizational culture when changing the organization's reward system.

Question 31

Which of the following processes can be used to predict how business changes are likely to affect human resource needs?

A) HR planning
B) HR evaluation
C) HR forecasting
D) HR analysis

Question 32

HR professionals are increasingly being utilized as key players in the strategic planning process.

Question 33

An organization can identify the mix of skills it will need in the future using the ____ process.

A) skills analysis
B) HR planning
C) HR evaluation
D) skills evaluation

Question 34

Human resource plans do not require continual input from all functional area managers.

Question 35

A human resource information system (HRIS) can reduce paperwork and cut administrative cost.

Question 36

Extranets are Internet networks accessible only to employees within the company.

Question 37

Which of the following is not a direct benefit associated with HR forecasting?

A) Identifies recruiting needs.
B) Aids in the planning of job assignments.
C) Inhibits the firms ability to cope with fluctuations in staffing requirements.
D) Provides information on how well employees are being developed to fill future needs.

Question 38

A line manager's people skills are not important when it comes to managing an empowered workforce.

Question 39

The ____ process helps organizations determine where they are going.

A) job analysis
B) job shadow
C) strategic planning
D) job evaluation

Question 40

Which process provides an organization with the information it needs to plan for its recruitment, selection, and training and development practices?

A) HR evaluation
B) HR planning
C) Environmental analysis
D) Organizational analysis

Question 41

____ involves predicting the number and types of people the organization will need at some time in the future.

A) Supply forecasting
B) Demand forecasting
C) Business factor forecasting
D) Needs forecasting

Question 42

____ forecasting methods involve the use of human judgment rather than a manipulation of numbers.

A) Ratio
B) Probability
C) Judgmental
D) Statistical

Question 43

The difference between demand forecast and supply forecast signifies a firm's:

A) HR resources.
B) HR plans.
C) HR needs.
D) HR practices.

Question 44

When scanning the external environment, organizational planners are attempting to identify challenges to the organization posed by all the following ways EXCEPT:

A) what their competitors are doing.
B) what substitute products and services may be on the horizon.
C) new firms entering the market.
D) change in corporate culture.

Question 45

____ usually provide input into decisions regarding the new strategic directions for the firm.

A) Vice presidents of functional areas
B) Customers
C) Front-line supervisors
D) Consultants

Question 46

A ____ specifies the course of action a firm must take in order to meet its strategic goals.

A) SWOT analysis
B) strategic plan
C) functional plan
D) human resource plan

Question 47

The first step in the strategic planning process is to:

A) determine the organization's mission.
B) scan the organization's environment.
C) set strategic goals.
D) formulate a strategic plan.

Question 48

Which of the following is not a statistical method of demand forecasting?

A) Trend analysis
B) Ratio analysis
C) Regression analysis
D) Group brainstorming analysis

Question 49

In ____, the future demand for human resources is projected on the basis of past business activity regarding a business factor.

A) trend analysis
B) regression analysis
C) brainstorming
D) sales force estimates

Question 50

If you were the manager of a grocery store located in an area with little population growth, which of the following would be the most appropriate for demand forecasting?

A) Trend analysis
B) Brainstorming
C) Sales force estimates
D) Supply forecasting

Question 51

Which functional area provides inputs on economic conditions for the strategic planning process?

A) Marketing
B) Manufacturing
C) Finance
D) Human resources

Question 52

Which of the following is not a typical strategic planning activity?

A) Determine the organizational mission
B) Set strategic goals
C) Formulate a strategic plan
D) Achieve strategic goals

Question 53

Which method of demand forecasting works on the assumption that changes in workforce requirement will be proportionate to changes in the business factor?

A) Judgmental
B) Group brainstorming
C) Statistical
D) Sales force estimates

Question 54

____ defines the basic business scope and operation that distinguishes the organization from others of a similar nature.

A) SWOT analysis
B) Mission statement
C) Strategic goal
D) Strategic plan

Question 55

A business ____ is an attribute of the business, such as sales volume or market share, which closely relates to the size of the needed workforce.

A) requirement
B) factor
C) necessity
D) strategy

Question 56

Which of the following is formulated by translating organizational goals into narrower functional or departmental goals and then devising methods for meeting these goals?

A) Mission statement
B) Strategic vision
C) Strategic plan
D) Human resource plan

Question 57

____ analysis is the process of determining future HR demand by computing an exact ratio between the specific business factor and the number of employees needed.

A) Ratio
B) Regression
C) Trend
D) Market

Question 58

Which of the following involves the use of scatter diagrams to determine workforce size required at each value of the business factor in consideration?

A) Regression analysis
B) Ratio analysis
C) Trend analysis
D) Judgmental analysis

Question 59

When scanning the internal environment, an organizational planner should consider all the following factors EXCEPT:

A) the organization's culture.
B) the organization's span of control of management.
C) the rate of technological change.
D) skills of the human resources.

Question 60

Which of the following approaches would a firm use to predict workforce requirements for the current year based on the sales expectation for that year and the sales and workforce size of the previous three years?

A) Regression analysis
B) Trend analysis
C) Ratio analysis
D) Brainstorming analysis

Question 61

Which planning process do organizations use to make an estimation of how many of its current employees will remain in their positions during the planning period, how many will move to another position, and how many will leave the organization?

A) Demand forecasting
B) Supply forecasting
C) Judgmental analysis
D) Sales force estimation

Question 62

According to the text, HRIS data is used to track all the following EXCEPT:

A) career paths.
B) benefits.
C) insurance policies.
D) sales.

Question 63

Organizations can improve retention rates by doing all the following EXCEPT:

A) helping managers develop good people management skills.
B) discouraging employee participation.
C) tailoring rewards to recognize the individual needs of workers.
D) make training and cross-training available to all workers.

Question 64

Which approach for forecasting HR demand is most appropriate when the need for additional employees arises from the introduction of new products?

A) Group brainstorming
B) Regression analysis
C) Sales force estimates
D) Ratio analysis

Question 65

A firm derives its specific staffing needs by combining the results of the ____ within each job group.

A) statistical and judgmental analysis
B) ratio and trend analysis
C) demand and supply forecasts
D) HR and sales forecasts

Question 66

Which of the following is usually listed in the employee file of a human resource information system?

A) Number of vacancies
B) Number of people required to fill the vacancies
C) Qualifications needed to perform each job
D) Performance ratings

Question 67

Which of the following is not an alternative to dealing with an undersupply of workers?

A) Hiring of additional workers
B) Job reassignments
C) Improving the productivity of the existing workers
D) Eliminating the use of overtime

Question 68

What is the computerized information package that increases management capacity to record, store, manipulate, and communicate information across wide geographic boundaries called?

A) Human resource management system
B) Human resource evaluation system
C) Human resource information system
D) Human resource planning system

Question 69

Which of the following would an organization use to improve the productivity of its existing workforce?

A) Additional shifts
B) Additional training
C) Telecommuting
D) Job sharing

Question 70

Which of the following is not an alternative to downsizing?

A) Job sharing
B) Pay increases
C) Hiring freezes
D) Early retirements

Question 71

Which alternative to additional hiring should a firm employ to reduce job vacancies?

A) Additional training
B) Job reassignments
C) Improve retention rates
D) Use of overtime

Question 72

All the following are true about HRIS EXCEPT:

A) the HRIS can retrieve a range of highly detailed information about applicants and their employment needs.
B) an HRIS can reduce paperwork, but increases administrative costs..
C) the HRIS enables a company to calculate employer-paid and employee-contribution values.
D) the administrative function of the HRM department becomes more decentralized.

Question 73

____ are usually responsible for gathering and inputting information into the HRIS and for maintaining the system as employee records change.

A) HR professionals
B) Marketing managers
C) Line managers
D) Supervisors

Question 74

Which method of demand forecasting generates a forecast through face-to-face discussions?

A) Sales force estimates
B) Group brainstorming
C) Regression analysis
D) Trend analysis

Question 75

Which of the following is a judgmental method of demand forecasting?

A) Regression analysis
B) Trend analysis
C) Sales force estimates
D) Ratio analysis

Question 76

The ____ method of demand forecasting uses a panel of experts to generate a forecast based on their knowledge and understanding of the market.

A) group brainstorming
B) group ratio
C) group regression
D) group trend analysis

Question 77

Which of the following enables workers to perform a variety of functions, thus ensuring that they have the necessary skills to continue to make ongoing contributions to the firm?

A) Realistic job previews
B) Cross-training
C) Job reassignment
D) Management training

Question 78

Which of the following is usually listed in the job file of a human resource information system?

A) Performance ratings
B) Salary history
C) Date of hire
D) Number of people needed in each job

Question 79

All the following are purposes served by an HRIS EXCEPT:

A) it tracks accruals of vacation days and sick leaves.
B) it tracks employee participation in each benefit option.
C) it reports turnover rates by department.
D) it tracks internal candidates.

Question 80

If you were managing an organization that was experiencing explosive growth and instability, which of the following would be most appropriate for demand forecasting?

A) Ratio analysis
B) Trend analysis
C) Group brainstorming
D) Regression analysis